Interior Alaska Revegetation & Erosion Control Guide

Front Cover: The Chulitna River meanders in front of the Alaska Range Cover Photo: Phil Czapla (AK PMC)

Interior Alaska, for the pur-poses of this guide, is defined as the 37 USGS quads shown

above. These quads span several unique eco-regions,

further detailed on page 49.

By

Philip K. CzaplaandStoney J. Wright

Editing | Layout | Design: Brennan Veith Low

Interior Alaska Revegetation & Erosion Control Guide

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Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by any employee or branch of the State of Alaska. Information submitted by private companies in the case studies section of this document is public-ly available, and presented for educational purposes. All photo-graphs are copyright of their respective owners.

Published July, 2012:State of AlaskaDepartment of Natural ResourcesDivision of Agriculture

Alaska Plant Materials Center5310 S. Bodenburg Spur Rd. Palmer, AK 99645

Alaska Plant Materials Center logo: ‘Germinate’ - Original artwork by Sheila Wyne, used with permission

This publication was funded in part by a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resource Conservation Service.

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Foreword

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SEAN PARNELL, GOVERNOR

CENTRAL OFFICE1800 GLENN HIGHWAY, SUITE 12 PALMER, ALASKA 99645-6736

DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES PHONE: (907) 745-7200FAX: (907) 745-7112

NORTHERN REGION OFFICE DIVISION OF AGRICULTURE 1648 S. CUSHMAN ST., # 201

FAIRBANKS, ALASKA 99701-6206PHONE: (907) 328-1950FAX: (907) 328-1951PLANT MATERIALS CENTER5310 S. BODENBURG SPURPALMER, ALASKA 99645-9706PHONE: (907) 745-4469FAX: (907) 746-1568

“Responsibly develop Alaska’s resources by making them available formaximum use and benefit consistent with the public interest.”

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The publishing of the Interior Alaska Revegetation and Erosion Control Guide marks my thirty-third year with the Alaska Plant Materials Center. Much of the early off-site plot evaluation work and revegetation studies during my career took place in Alaska’s Interior. A shift to work on coastal regions occurred after roughly eight years, in part due to the increasing amount of construction activity in the coastal areas of Alaska, and the availability of federal funds for coastal projects.

Another reason revegetation and restoration activities in Alaska’s Interior subsided was the fact that many disturbances self-restore. On non-fill disturbances, natural revegetation was fast and generally reliable. Revegetation in the Interior was required only when erosion potential was high and there was insufficient time to rely on natural revegetation. Highway and airport construction activities over the past two decades have kept the Plant Materials Center involved in the other revegetation efforts in the Interior.

Although the Interior allows for greater use of natural revegetation than other areas of Alaska, the region is not immune to the problems associated with surface disturbances. Permafrost poses unique and interesting problems when disturbed by construction and mining. The massive forest fires so common in the Interior also present water quality issues if erosion occurs after the fire and before natural revegetation can occur.

Working on projects in the Interior has left me with a number of great memories of successful projects and the outstanding summers in the region. Interior Alaska is a unique place. Hopefully this guide will assist others in their efforts to use vegetation to control erosion problems and restore disturbed lands to a natural condition.

The science of revegetation in Alaska’s Interior is moving forward in a new direction. The seeding practice may be different, but erosion control and storm water issues remain important and must be accommodated during the entire process. This new seeding approach will be cautiously introduced so the techniques can be adapted to the rest of Alaska, advancing the science even more. May the effort begin!

Stoney J. Wright

Author ’s Preface

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Author ’s Preface

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This guide was written to assist land owners, land managers, en-gineers and environmental professionals in making decisions regarding revegetation and the use of vegetation in soil erosion control and soil con-servation. The information contained in the guide builds upon past reveg-etation manuals including:

2001 Alaska Highway Drainage Manual - Chapter 16: Erosion and Sediment Control. (2001) State of Alaska, Department of Transporta-tion and Public Facilities.

Wright, Stoney J. (2008) - A Revegetation Manual for Alaska. Edited by Peggy Hunt. State of Alaska, Department of Natural Resources, Di-vision of Agriculture, Alaska Plant Materials Center.

Wright, Stoney J. & Czapla, Philip K. (2011) - Alaska Coastal Re-vegetation and Erosion Control Guide, 2nd Edition. Edited by Brennan Veith Low. State of Alaska, Department of Natural Resources, Division of Agriculture, Alaska Plant Materials Center.

The authors would like to thank the individuals named below for their participation in this project.

Dean Brown with the Alaska Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Division of Forestry, Casey Dinkel with the Alaska DNR, Division of Agri-culture, Alaska Plant Materials Center, Lee McKinley with the Alaska De-partment of Fish & Game and Anne Brown with the Alaska DNR, State Pipeline Coordinator’s Office.

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Acknowledgements

Introduction• Geography• History• Impacts• Purpose

Section 1: Background

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The Trans-Alaska Pipeline winds through mixed hardwood and spruce forest in Interior Alaska.

Photo: Casey Dinkel (AK PMC)

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Table of ContentsInterior Alaska Revegetation & Erosion Control Guide

Section 2: Project ImplementationPlanning

• Goal Setting & Preparation• Identify Site Conditions• Seeding Methods• Transplanting• Planting Choices• Planting Time• Selection of Species• Mulch & Erosion Matting

Techniques• Charged Overburden Veneer• Sod Clumps• Vegetation Mats• Natural Reinvasion• Enhanced Natural Reinvasion• Imprinting• Scarification• Dormant Seeding

Wild Seed CollectionPotential Sources of Erosion

• Wildfire• Agriculture• Transportation • Riverbank Erosion• Mining

Conservation & Protection• Protecting Wetland Areas• Invasive Species • Permafrost Conservation

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Section 5: Further Information

Section 3: Species Selection

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Section 4: Case Studies

Adapted Plants• Eco-regions of Alaska • Vegetation Communities• Revegetation Suggestions

Plant Species

Revegetation Projects• True North Mine Reclamation• Chistochina River Wetland Restoration• Kanuti Pit Rehabilitation• FairbanksPartialLandfillClosure• Riparian Reclamation of Nome Creek• Illinois Creek Mine Site Revegetation

Works CitedAppendix A: Seed RegulationsAppendix B: Partner Agencies

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Introduction• Geography• History• Impacts• Purpose

Interior Alaska is dominated by boreal spruce forests, with wetlands present throughout. The Alaska Range is visible in the background of this photo, taken near Talkeetna.

Photo: Phil Czapla (AK PMC)

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Background

Section 1:

Introduction

Geography Interior Alaska is a region defined by three mountain ranges; the Brooks Range to the north, the Chugach to the south, and the Alaska Range in between. “[Interior Alaska] includes North America’s highest mountain, permanently snow covered peaks, glaciers, rivers and streams, lakes, a diverse geology and veg-etation that ranges from Alpine tundra to boreal forest and wetlands, and a rich flora and fauna” (Laursen & Seppelt, 2009).

Alaska is by far the largest state within the United States of America; having more than twice the area of its nearest largest state. Indeed, Alaska by itself cov-ers 1% of the land mass on Earth, and is larger than all but 19 countries on the planet. For the purposes of this book, Interior Alaska is defined by the 37 USGS quadrangle maps included on the inside front cover.

Spruce, willow and fireweed are present in this Brooks Range vegetation community.

Photo: Brianne Blackburn (AK PMC)

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History Interior Alaska was first populated by indigenous Athabascan cultures and tribes. The Yukon river and its tributaries provided access and means of trav-el, communication and trade between peoples. Ancestral peoples followed the spawning salmon into the Interior, lived with the seasonal migration patterns of the caribou herds, and learned the habits of the moose, bear and other furbear-ing animals. Villages and individuals established rights to specific territory, land use, and water which were generally respected and guarded against foreign en-croachment. Almost all villages were occupied in the winter and periodically in summer (Selkregg, 1976).

The search for gold in Alaska is what gave many Interior communities their start. Gold was first discovered in Southeast Alaska during the 1870s; contin-ued exploration through the years expanded the findings northwards. Fairbanks came into existence largely due to the discovery of gold in the creeks of Tanana hills by Felix Pedro in 1902. Prospectors flocked to the interior with gold fever, hoping to strike it rich. Development soon followed with a trading post and other buildings being built to support the new mining district. Today the Fort Knox mine, northeast of Fairbanks produces a large amount of gold.

The military presence in interior Alaska is significant. Ladd Field, a US Air Force base, was constructed in 1939. It served as a cold weather experimental station where soldiers tested clothing and equipment. With the onset of World War II, Ladd Field expanded its role to serve as a transfer station for soviet air-craft. American crews delivered approximately 8,000 aircraft to the Russians for their war effort under a lend-lease agreement. Planes were flown from Great Falls, Montana to Fairbanks. Russians accepted the planes at Ladd Field, then flew them to Siberia for use in the war effort against Germany (Pike, 2011).

In 1961 the Army assumed control of Ladd Air Force Base and renamed the base Fort Wainwright after General Jonathan Wainwright, a decorated officer. Today Fort Wainwright is home to about 7,700 soldiers. It also encompasses Fort Greely and the Donnely Training Area (wainwright.army.mil).

Fort Greely is a mili-tary installation situated in Delta Junction. This army base is part of the United States’s Ballistic Mission Defense Systems (BMDS), charged with destroying threat missiles mid-course. Fort Greeley also hosts the Cold Regions Test Center and the Northern Warfare Training Center. Fort Gree-ly plays a unique role in the Department of Defense, encompassing about 7,200 acres of training lands.Aerial Photo: US Army

Fort Greely is home to the US Army’s largest training area.

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Impacts Impacts to Interior Alaska have many causes. The region supports indus-tries including mining, logging, tourism, and oil and gas production. Production industries, such as mining, can have significant impacts on the environment, and these effects must be mitigated. Mining, road-building, and tourism all take a toll on the natural environment. Human-caused impacts such as these have disrupted natural ecosystems and resulted in significant changes. Proper stew-ardship dictates that these human-caused impacts to Interior Alaska’s ecosystem be minimized.

Purpose This guide was developed to aid in the process of revegetation. The in-tended audience is private property owners, local and government agencies, environmental engineers, resource extraction companies, and anyone else that may encounter a need for erosion control or revegetation. For the purpose of this document, revegetation is defined as:

The re-establishment of plant cover by means of seeding or transplant-ing on a site disturbed by natural or man-caused actions.

Impacts, both large and small, will continue to disrupt interior Alaska. Re-covery (defined as the presence of self-sustaining vegetative cover and limited erosion) of most sites can be expedited and impacts minimized with human in-tervention to correct limitations and guide the ecosystem towards a desired end state. Material presented in the manual focuses on the “soft approach” to erosion control, using vegetation as opposed to the “hard approach” which utilizes engi-neered structures.

Numerous methods for reintroducing vegetation on a site are available. This manual details a logical sequence of surface preparation, fertilization, and seeding. When followed on a project site, this sequence will usually result in a self-sustaining native plant community that requires minimal management input.

When conditions allow, most disturbed sites will naturally be re-colonized with plants from the surrounding area, though it may take several years before a plant community becomes established. Natural reinvasion, as this technique is known, is at times used in Interior Alaska. This approach tends to be more ac-ceptable in areas that are not highly visible and do not have immediate erosion control needs or regulatory time lines.

The latter portion of this manual is dedicated to case studies, highlighting past revegetation projects that have occurred throughout Interior Alaska. These projects expose the realities of revegetation in the field, including successes, challenges, and lessons learned. It is our hope that these case studies will be-come a useful resource for future projects. These reports, as well as case stud-ies from the Alaska Coastal Revegetation & Erosion Control Guide are available from the Alaska Plant Materials Center’s website, at plants.alaska.gov/reveg.

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